Al Qaeda offers to release kidnapped Briton in return for Abu Qatada

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb has offered to release a kidnapped Briton if the UK frees Abu Qatada, the radical preacher Britain is trying to deport to Jordan.

In a statement on an Islamist website seen by SITE, the intelligence monitoring group, the North African branch of al-Qaeda warned against sending the cleric back to Jordan, saying that the UK would “bear the consequences” if the deportation went ahead.

“The initiative to the British Government is to release its citizen Stephen Malcolm, who also has South African nationality, if it deports Abu Qatada to one of the ‘Arab Spring’ countries,” said the statement, which could not be verified.

“If Britain ignores this offer it will bear the consequences of handing Abu Qatada to the Jordanian…